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Two travelers - a trade-union activist (Sivam,
Padmashree Kamal Hassan), and an advertisement
executive (Anbarasu, Madhavan) - get stuck
together when their flight from Bhubaneswar
to Chennai is cancelled due to bad weather.
The primary thread of the movie is the story
of their eventful journey to Chennai and
their many conversations. The duo's passage
through trains, buses, taxis and inclement
weather as well as the widely contrasting
lives of India's poor and rich is the canvas
on which the director has painted both vibrant
comedy as well as engaging public interest
perspective. The movie is replete with witty
exchanges between the activist and the executive
over their disagreements. And disagree they
do on just about anything under the sun
- God, rich-Vs-poor, consumerism and the
power of money to name a few.
Maddy is a typical rich grown guy who cannot
wait or tolerate the delays and democratic
calamities. He is ready to pay money for
faster and comfortable being and desperately
shouts telling that India is a country where
you cannot get comfort even after paying
money. At this juncture Kamal explains what
a true democracy is. The dialogue involving
this should be put again and again to every
citizen of India for improving self discipline.
After watching this film, I have stopped
complaining and self-disciplined my behavior
during waiting in the long queues and following
the rules and regulations despite the delays.
The movie consists of all kind
of theatric juices - Comedy, Sentiments,
Stunts, Melodies, Solutions, Advices, Social
messages in equal and right percentage.
During the journey, Sivam has a flashback
into his past love-life. He is an activist
for workers empowerment and falls in love
with no lesser a lady than the repressive
factory owner's progressive and sweet looking
daughter Bala (Kiran). Their encounter and
courting unfolds alongside the main theme
of the factory workers demanding just wages
from the uncharitable owner. You guessed
right, the factory owner is our villain
(Nasser) and his character neatly mirrors
economic exploitation in Indian society
-- wealthy employers denying living wages
to their workers in the same breath as they
recite hymns to the Gods. Sivam is the progressive
artist whose team sets up street plays,
dance, drama and painting to both empower
and sustain the worker’s demands.
Before you begin wondering whether
this is some activist ‘commie’
movie, wait. What's interesting about this
movie is not merely the treatment of public
interest perspectives. Even the rendition
of love flings between characters within
the artist group is somewhat true to the
real world relationship problems within
the so-called progressive or liberated groups
of people. Many people get public-interest
minded much before they learn to resolve
their own relationships meaningfully and
Anbe Sivam covers some of that ground. Whoever
you are -- citizen, government official,
social worker, or more importantly an activist
-- you will recognize these threads.
At one level, the love story between
the poor activist and the rich Bala is a
classic one with Bala's dad sending goondas
to beat up Sivam. Even more on the beaten
track, our hero beats up the goondas, single-handedly.
Yet, it is in this familiar context that
the more subtle issues play out. Though
the right is very commercial yet it clears
the logical doubts about the factory owner's
response to the love affair of Sivam and
Bala.
The lead lady artist in Sivam's
theatre group is in love with Sivam, but
as we know our hero has fallen for the factory
owner's daughter. Venkatesh, another artist
in the meantime falls for the lead lady
artist only to be rejected by her, because
she is in love with Sivam. So far, nothing
new!
The refreshing twist is best seen
in the emotional crossfire between the rejected
lady activist and Sivam. She tells him that
she wore shirts and pants and drove his
motorcycle to impress upon him that she
was progressive! And this, so that he would
not cast her away for being a 'fair and
lovely' feminine stereotype, which she supposed
that he was not going to like. A clear case
of young idealists stretching their liberation
idealogy ahead of themselves. This is not
to take anything away from our heroine,
for the very desi-nari looking Bala does
have a compassionate heart and pitches in
to help the workers cause, by tricking her
father to allow Sivam to paint a massive
wall-size activist poster on justice inside
their palatial residence!
Another current day combination
of ideas finds expression in Anbe Sivam.
The workers union is planning to have a
major event to project their cause and they
need money. They scratch their heads and
are running out of ideas, giving a not-so-unfamiliar
picture of how insurmountable the odds can
seem when some do-gooders want to raise
funds for social causes. But Bala steps
in now. Sivam's love-painting of Bala is
sold by her on the internet and this helps
both her fund the workers' event and make
a 10% commission on the sale. A can-do entrepreneurial
attitude comes to the activists' rescue.
Let's fast-forward to starring
twosome's ill-fated sojourn to Chennai.
Anbarasu tries his best to get rid of his
commie friend's company, only to find out
that he is fated to run into him at every
possible stoppage along the way. As a globe-trotting
executive who is always on a cellphone talking
to his fianceé, he makes no bones
about how powerful a currency his credit
card is. You may get the sense that director
has gone out of the way to project the city
slicker stereotypes that land up at wayside
highway hotels in rural India and expect
credit cards to be accepted. But several
comical takes on the massive disconnect
between the different lifestyles make sure
that the simplified stereotyping does not
pinch. During one instance, Anbarasu's Italian
designer shoes become the only way for the
traveling twosome to pay for their meals!
One of the complicated dialogues
in the movie is on the point of whether
multinational corporations are good for
India. The advertisement executive is a
great supporter of MNCs because like what
has happened to him, the new found wealth
is allowing employees to approximate a world-class
citizen status. He absolutely loves it.
Sivam punches him right back by arguing
that large numbers of the labor force are
being left in the lurch as a result of MNC
driven industrialization.
There are two other exchanges in
the movie that some in the discerning audience
may read as the film's efforts to cast communism
in a different light. In response to the
executive's attack on the activist that
he was trying to live a dead ideology (Communism)
because the greatest monument to it (Soviet
Union) had collapsed, Sivam hits back by
asking: "If the Taj Mahal was destroyed
tomorrow, does that mean love will end?"
Anbarasu has no answer to this, but these
are the sorts of quick-fire exchanges that
leave an impression on the audience, even
though this particular one does involve
an oversimplification.
Still, as if to leave the audience
with only the most general message, there
is yet another exchange that follows between
the quarreling two-some where Sivam clarifies
that communism is merely a feeling of equality
and nothing else! Those who limit their
sympathies for communism as a failed experiment
in the centralization of political power
(this is true even of the socialism practiced
in India) may find this metaphysical interpretation
more palatable.
Compassion and the happiness that
people derive from it is one of the primary
themes of the movie. For example, the otherwise
stiff executive loosens up under persuasion
by a missionary nun and Sivam to spare blood
for a dying child. Still, in the treatment
of this topic, the film does run the risk
of being clichéd. The scene which
Sivam and Anbarasu travel to Chennai in
an ambulance van - I felt my tears when
it rolled down my chin. Maddy is a nervous
person who is afraid of blood and its donation.
He finally decides to donate blood and the
duo with the nuns move in the ambulance
van. In a travel break, Anbarasu is totally
disturbed on the model proposed by God of
removal for the death of the boy in the
van, who got a rare blood group of rarely
donating person and who is just about to
reach the hospital. The noticeable point
here is Sivam calls Anbarasu a God as he
has tried very much in saving a life and
he feels for the departed soul of the boy.
Anbarasu and Sivam depart after a long trip
from Orissa.
All the knots reveal finally and
clearly at the climax scene and just before
climax of why and what Kamal is doing all
the things along with Maddy.
Anbarasu happens to visit Sivam's
house for giving back the cheque where he
finds that Sivam is leading a life for the
poor and needy and with a handicapped dog
Sangu. Being moved very much with the status
of Sivam, Anbarasu calls Sivam as his brother
and requests him to be close for ever and
one can see tears flowing when Sivam finds
his lover is the one who is going to be
the wife of Anbarasu. Sivam hides his face
but he is caught by the villain who on knowing
about Sivam agrees to sign out the bill
to raise the wages of the factory employees
on one condition that Sivam should never
contact his daughter. Kamal finally agrees
with a note to Anbarasu, which carries words
of humanity and love sentiment. The agreement
is signed as Sivam watches it from the corner.
So it's this man who in non-violent, crippled
and matured manner attained his ambition,
which he could not do as a drama artist
or as a protester. As usual the villain
orders his men to kill Sivam.
As
the movie draws to a close, the message
of humanity has been skillfully generalized.
This, through an episode where the villain's
right-hand man undertakes the order to kill
Sivam, but he has already had a change of
heart and instead turns into a supporter
of the activist. The film's ending involves
a familiar sacrifice with an unexpected
twist that results in a bonus for the beleaguered
workers of the factory that Sivam once fought
for.
Thinking as a professional reviewer,
whether you are left-leaning or right, conservative
or liberal, an avid Kamal buff or otherwise,
this movie is likely to entertain and engage
you. While its political perspectives deftly
interleaved with comedy will make this a
noteworthy movie, Anbe Sivam really stands
for something more.
Like a handful of movies that have
come before it, Anbe Sivam is proof of public
interest perspectives, progressive and sensitizing
debate and entertainment can all be rolled
into a popular film, without the need for
the familiar formulae that cast populist
heroes as champions of the downtrodden.
Final verdict - A film that should be watched
by every Human on Earth and that we should
be proud of Indian and Tamilian movie makers
in particular!!!
Anbesivam...I watch this movie at least
once every week.
Some of the Morals I learnt from the movie:
1. Never ever give up. Arise awake, Stop
not until you reach your ambition.
2. Being democratic is a citizen's duty.
3. Never insult/under estimate crippled
people. They can scale to great heights
than us.
4. Respect all and value every relationship.
5. Communism is being equal to everyone.
6. Anything can happen to you at any time,
be ready to face life with guts and joy.
7. Forget foreign invasion, everything is
available in India.
8. For those who don’t believe in
god - Love is God ! and those who believe
in God - God is Love!!!
Thanks,
Ashok Ramkumar,
ashok.the.zen@gmail.com
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